Climate science is not communism (Published in the Idaho Falls Post Register, July-2010) Wallace Hoffman recently argued

that human-caused global warming is a lie perpetrated by a left-wing conspiracy that seeks to undermine our freedoms with socialist and communist principles. His argument ignores the science behind global warming, and uses a series of half-truths to brand those who want to preserve the environment for future generations as scheming communists. Hoffmans argument is complete hogwash. Here are some facts to counter Hoffmans false claims. There is no science to support the claim that volcanoes emit more greenhouse gasses than humans. The best estimates suggest that, on average, volcanic emissions are < 2% of human emissions. It is a halftruth to say that the oceans are the worlds largest emitter of greenhouse gasses. Oceans do emit about 16 times more CO2 than humans do in any given year, but they absorb about 2% more than they emit each year. Thus, oceans are a net absorber of CO2. Hoffman is wrong about CO2 not being a pollutant. Pollutants are defined by the harm they cause at high levels and their presence as a result of human activity, not by their benefits at low levels or whether they can naturally occur. CO2 is harmful at elevated levels, and it is a pollutant when humans cause it to reach those levels. Hoffman is correct when he says that the sun is the major mediator of global temperature, the Earths climate system is a complicated series of checks and balances, and that water vapor is an important greenhouse gas whose contribution is insufficiently understood. However, this statement must be balanced by the understanding that human activity has elevated greenhouse gasses to the highest levels seen in over a million years. These increases have measurably increased global heat retention over what it would have otherwise been, and have increased the acidity of the oceans to levels that threaten vital fisheries. Climate change is a hard topic to understand. It is not as simple as many environmentalists and deniers claim, and scientists have not presented their case in a way that is both accurate and understandable to the general public. The simplest explanation starts with the understanding that climate change is both human and natural. By burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, humans have altered the composition of the atmosphere in a way that increases the amount of solar heat our planet retains. This excess heat warms oceans, melts ice, raises temperatures, and changes how natural ecosystems work. There is a lot of uncertainty, but we do know that acting as we have in the past will degrade the planet and leave the Earth poorer than we found it. Is this the inheritance we want to leave to our children? Dr. Craig Cooper is a scientist with expertise in energy, environmental, and policy issues; and a former member of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinsteins legislative staff.